Oral-B has moved portions of its electric toothbrush manufacturing unit to the former Menards building on Highway 1 and plans to add about 50 more jobs over the next year.

Jeff LeRoy, senior manager of communications for Procter & Gamble, which owns Oral-B, said Oral-B is leasing the space at 1375 Highway 1 and operations began there in May. The building now houses about 60 employees, he said.

About 40 employees were moved from the toothbrush manufacturing plant at 1832 Lower Muscatine Road to staff the new location, LeRoy said, and the company hired about 20 new employees at the new location. He said the company plans to add about 50 more manufacturing positions to that site over the next year.

LeRoy said the former Menards building was a good fit given its proximity to the Oral-B and Procter & Gamble facilities on Lower Muscatine Road, which are about 3 miles east of the former Menards space.

"The other thing is size and space; it gives us flexibility," LeRoy said.

Kevin Digmann of Hodge Construction, which owns a partial interest in the property, said the building is about 144,000 square feet.

From 2008 until May 2016, the building served as a home to the University of Iowa Studio Arts program. It was renovated and housed faculty, staff, students, equipment and artwork from the program after most of the old Art Building East was damaged beyond repair by flooding.

The Studio Arts program relocated to the new Visual Arts Building next to Art Building West along Riverside Drive in May 2016.

The locations along Lower Muscatine Road are also manufacturing plants. The Oral-B location manufactures toothbrushes, and the Procter & Gamble facility manufactures beauty care products like shampoos and conditioners.

Reach Andy Davis at 319-887-5404 or at aldavis@press-citizen.com, and follow him on Twitter as @BylineAndyDavis.